her as the advent of some patriarchal paterfamilias. In taking that
outlook into life of which I have spoken, she had never said to herself
that she despised those things from which other girls received the
excitement, the joys, and the disappointment of their lives. She had
simply given herself to understand that very little of such things
would come her way, and that it behoved her to live--to live happily if
such might be possible--without experiencing the need of them. She had
heard, when there was no thought of any such visit to Oxney Colne, that
John Broughton was a handsome, clever man--one who thought much of
himself, and was thought much of by others--that there had been some
talk of his marrying a great heiress, which marriage, however, had not
taken place through unwillingness on his part, and that he was on the
whole a man of more mark in the world than the ordinary captain of
ordinary regiments.

Captain Broughton came to Oxney Combe, stayed there a fortnight,--the
intended period for his projected visit having been fixed at three or
four days,--and then went his way. He went his way back to his London
haunts, the time of the year then being the close of the Easter
holidays; but as he did so he told his aunt that he should assuredly
return to her in the autumn.

"And assuredly I shall be happy to see you, John--if you come with a
certain purpose. If you have no such purpose, you had better remain
away."

"I shall assuredly come," the Captain had replied, and then he had gone
on his journey.

The summer passed rapidly by, and very little was said between Miss Le